


Cracks in the pavement

by Lilly_C



Series: Fluff Bingo [3]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Comfort, Community: fluffbingo, Episode: s17e04 Institutional Fail, Fluff Bingo Quarter 2, Gen, Hugs, Talking, luxken27's Summer Mini Challenge, luxken27's Summer Mini Challenge 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-07 21:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19093264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilly_C/pseuds/Lilly_C
Summary: Sitting beside him, Liv copied his position, lightly rubbing his back as he barely acknowledged her presence, choosing to remain focused on a tiny jagged crack in the pavement, silently counting every sharp edge he saw.





	Cracks in the pavement

**Author's Note:**

> Spoiler for Institutional Fail.
> 
> Missing scene written for the one more time prompt on my fluffbingo [table](https://alittleimprobable.dreamwidth.org/244235.html) and the pull prompt on my summer mini challenge [table](https://alittleimprobable.dreamwidth.org/212464.html).
> 
> Any mistakes are my own and unintentional.

The whole time Liv and Carisi were talking to the doctor about Keisha’s condition she felt him clenching and unclenching his fists, knowing that he’d leave as soon as he could. It was a quirk of his that nobody else seemed to have noticed, a way of asking permission for a few minutes alone to calm down before he would open up about whatever was bothering him.

“Excuse me,” he mumbled, hastily using the stairs rather than wait a couple of moments for the lift to reach the floor they were on.

Once he was outside, he placed his blazer on the side walk sitting down, pulling his right leg to his chest, chin resting there as tried to regain equilibrium.

Liv looked in on the girl, letting a nurse know where she’d be if they needed her. A few moments later she was outside, easily spotting Carisi who looked more like a young boy who had been told off for eating cookies before dinner rather than the experienced detective that he was.

Sitting beside him, Liv copied his position, lightly rubbing his back as he barely acknowledged her presence, choosing to remain focused on a tiny jagged crack in the pavement, silently counting every sharp edge he saw.

“Sorry about that Liv, I needed to calm down.”

“I know you did,” Liv said reassuring him. “It’s okay to take five minutes.” 

Taking a few moments to gather his thoughts, he started, “I thought that this would get easier,” pausing, swallowing down a harsh breath. “Not harder.”

Liv started to gently pull him towards her, their current positions, making the attempted hug a little awkward for them.

Letting out a soft sigh, Liv said, “You’ve been on this team for over a year now, so I know that I don’t need to sugar coat this for you, but with this job we see it all and sometimes it’s not just the victims that get to you, the cases do get to you. You just have to remember that it’s not about us, it’s about getting justice for them.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Sonny scoffed. “I just… I try to be a little detached, especially when it involves kids, but tonight it didn’t work.”

“Being detached is the quickest way to get burned out. I’ve seen it too many times.”

Hearing the standard ping of an iPhone message, Carisi glanced at Liv who was checking her phone, using the lock screen shortcut to quickly type a reply to Fin, “Fin’s found the mother,” Liv said evenly before dismissing a message from the doctor. “Looks like we’re needed in there.”

Liv stood first brushing dirt off her trousers, then offering a hand to help him up. A minute later they were slowly walking back into the hospital for an update on the girl.

“Can I ask..” Sonny hesitated, unsure of how his request would be interpreted. Liv stopped in front of him, giving him the time to get his question out without prompting. “When this is all over, can we do this one more time?”

Liv softly smiled at the question. “Sure.”

**Author's Note:**

> First attempt with these two.


End file.
